


hush little baby, don't say a word

by sparklyhyuck



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Light Angst, Little Space, M/M, Multi, Non-Sexual Age Play, Other, chenle sweetest boy, donghyuck is trying his best i promise, jisung baby!!!, just at first, post kick it era, soft hyuckil!!!!, then it's pure fluff, vvv soft yujae
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-01-15 04:25:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21247442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparklyhyuck/pseuds/sparklyhyuck
Summary: jeno had already asked their managers for a couple of days off, and they had surprisingly agreed, saying that they all deserved a break for all the hard work they'd put in all month, and had cleared their schedules for the rest of the week - a whole four days off. four days to take care of jisung and chenle, let the poor teenagers relax, and rest a bit themselves.(requests open)





	1. un

Jisung was exhausted.

He had gone from dance practice in the morning to vocal lessons in the early afternoon to rehearsals for concerts to doing schoolwork for a few hours before he passed out on top of his books, just as he'd been doing all week. Getting up at six in the morning and not going to bed until one or two was starting to take a toll on the seventeen-year-old, his brain going fuzzy at the edges at times before he pulled himself back to reality. He hoped no one had noticed him repressing his headspace and trying to fight off the urge to just drop and let everyone coddle him for a bit.

Unfortunately for him, Jaemin had noticed almost immediately. The elder had been trying all week to get Jisung to just relax enough to drop into his headspace but it had been unsuccessful. So Jaemin had told the other Dreamies, who had all agreed to use their last resort - force Jisung into his headspace, no matter how hard it was. 

Jisung had a meeting with his math tutor for an hour after the Dreamies finished their rehearsal, giving the four caregivers and an already-little Chenle plenty of time to pull all of Jisung's little stuff out from under his bed, make dinner, mostly for them - Jaemin was pretty sure Jisung would drop pretty low in his headspace, and his little age was never older than three - and let Chenle pick out a Disney movie to watch. Jeno had already asked their managers for a couple of days off, and they had surprisingly agreed, saying that they all deserved a break for all the hard work they'd put in all month, and had cleared their schedules for the rest of the week - a whole four days off. Four days to take care of Jisung and Chenle, let the poor teenagers relax, and rest a bit themselves. 

Jisung stumbled in the door around ten pm, an hour later, arms weighed down with a big textbook and a couple of notebooks, looking more stressed than he had before. Renjun and Jaemin shared a look before setting their plan into action. Renjun gently tugged the books out of Jisung's hands, shushing the youngest when he started to protest. Jaemin swept Jisung up in his arms, rubbing his back soothingly when the youngest started squirming and whining in protest. "Baby, it's okay. Calm down, m'kay? Let hyungies take care of you, yeah?" Renjun said, ruffling Jisung's hair as the younger's eyes drooped and he quit squirming, resting his head on Jaemin's shoulder, finally in his headspace. "Jisungie, honey, can you give hyungie a number, please?" Renjun asked, smiling softly when Jisung just stared at him in wonder as he brought three fingers up to his mouth, pouting when Renjun tutted and pulled the little's fingers away, replacing them with Jisung's Superman pacifier. Jisung grinned, making the two caregivers coo. 

"Hyungie! Gege! Fo' Ji'ungie!" Chenle said, toddling into the room in from his bedroom waving a piece of paper, Jeno and Donghyuck trailing behind him, making sure the three-year-old little didn't lose his balance. Chenle shoved his drawing into Renjun's face, pointing to the blobs of color on the page. "Dat Lele, an' Ji'ungie, an' gege an' hyungies!" He said excitedly, quivering with excitement. "Whoa, Lele, that's such a good drawing! Do you want gege to put it on the fridge for you?" Renjun asked, smiling gently at the little. Chenle gasped, eyes lighting up. "Yes, p'ease!" The little giggled, handing Renjun the drawing carefully, watching the caregiver take a magnet and hang the picture up on the fridge with a colorful magnet. 

Now that his picture was hung up, Chenle turned all of his attention to Jisung. "Hyungie, Lele p'ay wit' 'Ungie now?" Chenle asked, looking up at Jaemin with big, pleading eyes. Jaemin chuckled, shifting Jisung from one hip to the other. "Jisungie is very very little and very very tired right now, Le. You can play in the morning, okay?" The youngest caregiver said, gently rocking Jisung back and forth as the youngest started to whine. Chenle pouted, yawning adorably as he nodded. 

"I think it's bedtime for you too, hm?" Jeno said, gently picking Chenle up as well, the older little scrunching his nose in thought. "Otay, hyungie. Lele go night night now?" He asked, big eyes looking innocently at Jeno. From behind, Donghyuck laughed, ruffling Chenle's hair. "Yes, baby. It's night night time now. Do you want hyungie to make you some milk?" Chenle nodded sleepily, fighting to stay awake. Donghyuck grinned, heading into the kitchen as the other three caregivers went to change the littles into their pajamas for the night. 

Donghyuck made quick work of making the boys their milk - pulling Chenle's Batman sippy cup and Jisung's Superman bottle off of the shelf, he set them down the counter gently. Grabbing a couple of mugs from the racks hanging above the coffee maker, Donghyuck poured the milk into them and popped them in the microwave, setting the timer for three minutes. When the microwave gave a little ding, Donghyuck pulled the mugs out carefully, pouring their contents into the sippy cup and bottle. He tested the temperature on his wrist, humming in satisfaction, walking down the hall to the spare bedroom - the little's nursery. 

Surprisingly, Chenle and Jisung were both dressed and half-asleep when Donghyuck stepped in, eyes widening in shock. "How'd you get them both changed so fast?" Donghyuck asked. Renjun shrugged, holding his hand out for Chenle's sippy cup. Donghyuck handed Renjun the item, handing Jaemin the bottle for Jisung. "It's a bit easier when they're both exhausted. No fighting Chenle to put wear a pull-up or dealing with Jisung whining when I try to put his footie onesie on." Renjun said, smiling softly as Chenle made grabby hands for his drink. "Hopefully they'll both sleep for a while. I hate seeing both of them like this... They're so young." Jeno remarked, sighing as he ran his hands through Jisung's hair, the little finally falling asleep after finishing his bottle. 

"You say that as if you aren't a year older than them." Donghyuck snorted, quietly crying out in mock hurt when Jeno shoved his shoulder lightly. Renjun shook his head, the ghost of a smile on his lips. Jaemin giggled quietly, flicking the nightlight in the corner on as he set Jisung in his crib next to Chenle's racecar bed, shooing the other three out of the door, leaving it open a crack as they all headed for the living room. 

The four caregivers gathered on the couch, so close to each other you could barely tell whose limb was whose, talking until the small hours of the morning about their littles and the other littles in the company (mostly their 127 hyungs) until they all fell asleep on the couch, cuddled into each other. And if Chenle had come out in the middle of the night and burrowed himself into the middle of his caregivers, no one said a word.


	2. deux

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> donghyuck is stressed.
> 
> or, 127 and dream have another baby on their hands!

Donghyuck's schedule was fucked up. They had just finished the Dream Show and now here he was, back in the practice room, running through Kick It once again. "Alright, water break!" Taeyong called as the music ended. "Good job today, we're going to do a few more run-throughs but then we'll be-" Taeyong was cut off by a small cry, coming from the corner of the room, right by all their water bottles. "Markie, love, it's okay. We'll be home soon, you just have to be big for a little bit more, can you do that for Daddy?" Johnny asked, only to be met with more sobs from Mark. "No? That's okay, lovie. You can be as little as you need to be. Shh, shh, bub, it's going to be okay." Johnny cooed, gathering an already-regressed Mark up in his arms, rocking the sobbing little back and forth gently. 

Everyone's attention was on Mark. And Donghyuck was jealous. He didn't know why - he'd never felt jealous like this before. Why was he jealous of all the attention little Mark was getting? He wasn't a little. He didn't need someone to give him constant attention and care like little Mark, or little Taeyong, or little Jaehyun, or even little Jungwoo, who was normally 4 or 5 when in little space, old enough to not need constant attention. So why the hell was he jealous? 

Donghyuck hadn't even realized he was crying.

"Hyuck? What's up?" Taeil asked, sitting next to the youngest. He wrapped an arm around the crying boy, gently pushing the sweaty hair out of Donghyuck's eyes. "W-Why... W-why... Ma'kie gets a-all th' atten'ion an-and Hyuckie get n-none!" Donghyuck sobbed, burying his head in Taeil's shoulder. Taeil was confused. Donghyuck wasn't a little, was he? He was certainly acting like one, though, so Taeil figured that the best response was to treat him like he was. "Hyuckie, honey. Look at hyung, sweetheart. We're sorry, baby, we didn't know." Taeil said, hugging Donghyuck to his chest gently. The youngest calmed down, cries dissipating into small whimpers, shoving his index and middle finger into his mouth. "Hyuckie, lovie, can you tell hyung how old you are?" Doyoung asked, crouching in front of Taeil and Donghyuck. The new little simply stared at Doyoung, his eyes wide, glassy from crying. "He's non-verbal, probably younger than Mark usually is. I don't even think he understood anything besides his name." Doyoung sighed, running a hand through his hair. "He must've dropped fast... He had to have been three or four when I first talked to him." Taeil said, rubbing Donghyuck's back with care, cooing when the boy gave a little kitten yawn. "He's jealous of Mark, of all the attention he gets when little. I doubt he even thought he was a little before today." Taeil added. Yuta frowned, sitting next to Taeil, pulling Donghyuck's fingers out of his mouth and quickly replacing it with one of Mark's spare pacifiers. "Poor baby... he's going to be a wreck when he's big again," Yuta said, pressing a gentle kiss to a now-sleeping Donghyuck's forehead. "Yeah, but for now, let's just get them home. If he's that little, he'd going to need more than just Mark's paci." Johnny said, Mark fast asleep on his hip. "Oh fuck." Taeil cursed lowly, gathering Donghyuck into his arms and standing up. "Can someone grab my stuff? Kinda got my hands full here." He said, bouncing Donghyuck a little when the youngest stirred. 

The group made their way to the car quickly. Taeil thanked god the dorm was only a three-minute drive away, so they got back quickly. "Papa! Call Nono hyung!" Jungwoo piped up, handing Taeil his phone. Taeil smiled, taking the phone from the little's hand. "Thank you, Wooie! You're such a smart boy, hm?" Jungwoo giggled, blushing at the attention. Taeil smiled, running a hand through Jungwoo's sweaty hair, then picked up his phone to call Jeno. 

"Hello? Taeil hyung?" Jeno said, confused. "What's going on, hyung?" Jeno shoved the phone between his ear and shoulder as he grabbed Chenle and Jisung's bottles and took them to the living room. "Is Donghyuck a little?" Taeil asked, unbuckling Donghyuck's seatbelt. "I'm sorry, what?" Jeno asked, passing the littles' bottles over to Renjun, mouthing a quick thank you before taking the phone in his hand again. "Is Hyuck a little?" Taeil repeated, picking the sleeping little up and carrying him inside. "No, he's a caregiver. I mean, maybe, they see him as more of a big brother than as a caregiver, but he's not a little." Jeno said, sitting on the couch. Jaemin gave Jeno a questioning look. "Well... he's definitely a little," Taeil said, nodding his thanks to Yuta for holding the door open. "He's non-verbal right now, maybe seven months at most. He's younger than Mark." Taeil said, laying a now-awake Donghyuck on the changing table. Jeno's eyes widened, shocked. "Oh my god," Jeno said, covering his mouth with one hand. "How did we not notice? Can we come and see him?" Taeil hummed into the phone, busy pulling out an outfit for Donghyuck and grabbing a fresh pacifier, not one of Mark's used ones, and a towel for Donghyuck's bath. "Can you give us ten minutes? He needs a quick bath after practice." Taeil said, taking Donghyuck to the bathroom off of hid and Yuta's room. "Alright, we'll be there in a few. Thanks, hyung!" Jeno said, disconnecting the call. 

"Hyuck's a little." Jeno said, shaking his head. Jaemin's head shot up from where he was on the floor, entertaining Jisung with some soft blocks. "Donghyuck? A little?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah... and he's super little. Younger than Mark." Jeno said, standing up. "Taeil hyung said we could go see him, I told him we'd be over soon." He added, shoving his phone in his back pocket. "We goin' out?!" Chenle asked, his eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "Gege, out? P'ease?" He turned to Renjun, hands clasped in front of him. Renjun ruffled the three-year-old little's hair gently, nodding. Chenle squealed, immediately closing his coloring book and packing away his crayons. "Okay. All rea'y!" He said, shoving the coloring book and crayons back in their cubby under the coffee table. Jaemin quickly packed away all the blocks Jisung had been playing with, the baby now distracted by his own fingers, trying to eat them around his pacifier. "Jiji! We go!" Chenle said, pulling at Jisung's hand. The youngest whined, trying to pull his hand away from Chenle. "Hey, Lele, no. We don't pull at our brother, okay? Or you don't have to go and see Jungwoo-hyung." Renjun reprimanded gently, picking Jisung up gently and placing Jisung on his hip. "Someone packed the diaper bag?" Renjun asked, smiling when Jaemin nodded and lifted the backpack above his head. "Alright, let's go!" Jeno said, herding Chenle down the hall to 127's suite.

Donghyuck was a very giggly little. He had just woken up from his very short nap on the way out of the car, but had been drowsy enough not to make a fuss as they went inside. "Hyuckie, sit still, baby." Taeil laughed, blowing a raspberry on Donghyuck's stomach, making the little squeal with excitement. He exchanged Donghyuck's boxers for a diaper, snapping a little deer onesie on him, and finally, a pair of soft pajama pants over the onesie and a pair of green socks with rubber treads on the bottom of them so he wouldn't slip or fall. Donghyuck seemed obsessed with the socks, reaching his hands up to grab his feet, which were suspended midair. The little grabbed at his toes, shrieking in delight when he could feel himself grabbing his toes. "My silly baby, aren't you Hyuckie? Let's go see if your hyungs are here yet, hm? And play with your friends?" Taeil cooed, picking Donghyuck up and taking him to the living room, where the rest of 127 and the Dreamies were, the caregivers on the couch, the babies - Mark, Jisung, Taeyong, and Jaehyun - were on the floor in the middle of the L-shaped sofa, playing with their soft toys (and, in Jaehyun's case, chewing on them), and the older littles - Chenle and Jungwoo - were playing some kind of game involving the Monopoly money, the Chutes and Ladders board, and two dice. "Look who's here!" Taeil said, tickling Donghyuck's stomach gently. The little giggled, scrunching his nose up adorably. Taeil set him down with the babies, moving to sit directly behind him on the couch. 

Donghyuck played well with the others, and they did the same. It was like Donghyuck had been a little all along. Well, he technically had been, but no one, not even him, had known it. 

That was going to be a tough conversation when he was big.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so... i'm back whoops... sorry for taking forever!! i had no inspiration to write until i thought of this and finished it in a day
> 
> but please keep leaving some suggestions! thank you so so much for reading and putting up with me never updating :) also if you want a part two? idk?


	3. trois

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's all just too much for jaehyun.
> 
> (or i wanted to write more little!jaehyun bc there is a severe lack of it)

Little squeals could be heard from the 10th-floor dining room, accompanied by laughter and loud conversation. 127 were celebrating their first night off after ending Kick It promotions, and a few of the littles had slipped into their headspaces.

"Here comes the airplane!" Doyoung said, gently spooning soup into Taeyong's mouth, making him giggle at the buzzing noises Doyoung made. "Papa... I feed baby? Please?" Jungwoo asked, looking up at Doyoung with his best puppy dog eyes. "You can give him a few bites, okay? Just a couple, you two already had your bath today and I know how messy my little boys can get." Doyougn said, putting the spoon down and hoisting Jungwoo into his lap. The oldest little grinned, pulling a silly face at Taeyong, who squealed and reached out to put his hand on Jungwoo's cheek, patting it clumsily. "Hi baby!" Jungwoo giggled, picking up the spoon (with help from Doyoung) and mimicking the airplane noises Doyoung had been making to feed Taeyong.

Jaehyun watched the trio with a small smile, his own soup growing cold. he didn't even notice when Yuta, who was sitting next to him, pick up his spoon until Yuta poked the spoon at Jaehyun's lips, making him blink and blush bright red. "Hyung, I'm not-" Jaehyun started, being cut off by Yuta gently guiding the spoon into his mouth. "I know you're not, Jae. But you can be if you want to." Yuta said gently. Jaehyun nodded, scrunching his face up in thought. "Can you... can you talk me down, hyung? I want to I just don't know if I can do it on my own. Not right now." He blushed, biting down on his lip. Yuta dipped the spoon back in the soup, shaking his head when Jaehyun tried to take the spoon from Yuta. "I can do it, hyung." Jaehyun protested, pouting slightly. "I know you can, baby. I just don't want your soup getting all over and making my little boy all yucky." Yuta said, using the tone all the caregivers used to talk one of the littles down. It seemed to work because by the time Yuta had pulled the spoon out, Jaehyun's eyes had gone a little wider and he didn't protest when Yuta kept feeding him. After a few more spoonfuls of soup, Jaehyun whined, squirming in his seat. Tears formed in his eyes and he reached out for Yuta, who cooed and picked the younger up, gently bouncing Jaehyun on his hip. "Let's go get you all changed, hm? And then Dada's little Hyunnie can have his bottle, yeah?" Yuta said, heading to Jaehyun and Jungwoo's room.

Since Jaehyun and Jungwoo were the only 10th floor roommates who were both littles and they had two closets in their room, one of the closets had been cleared out and dedicated to all of their floor's little things. Yuta set Jaehyun on his bed, the little whining at the loss of contact. "Relax, baby, I'm only going to the closet," Yuta said, pointing to the door at the foot of Jaehyun's bed. Yuta pulled out the large storage bin with Jaehyun's name on it and grabbed the little a diaper from the top shelf. "Let's see, Hyunnie, what do you want to wear tonight?" Yuta asked, pulling out Jaehyun's favorite red-and-green striped footie onesie (Yuta didn't have the heart to put it away after Christmas was over), grinning when the little clapped his hands together in satisfaction. "Alright, let's get you out of those yucky big boy clothes," Yuta said, pulling Jaehyun's shirt over his head swiftly, blowing a raspberry on the little's tummy, making Jaehyun giggle. 

Yuta finished changing Jaehyun quickly, grabbing a pacifier and clip out of Jaehyun's smaller paci bin on one of the closet's shelves, clipping it onto Jaehyun's onesie. "Let's go see Yongie and Woo!" Yuta said, picking Jaehyun up and tickling the younger's tummy gently, making Jaehyun giggle gently. Yuta headed back to the dining room, where Johnny and Donghyuck were clearing the table, handing the dishes to Taeil and Mark, who were rinsing them and loading them into the dishwasher. Neither Donghyuck or Mark were feeling little that night, content to help out with the dishes and just play with the littles for a bit. "Yuta, Doie and the babies are in the living room, we'll be in in a minute!" Johnny called, poking his head around the corner. Jaehyun let out a surprised squeal and grinned at Johnny, who waved back at Jaehyun. "Hyunnie! Play wit Woo an' Yongie!" Jungwoo said, scrambling up from where he had been sitting cross-legged in front of Taeyong, who was settled on Doyoung's lap, playing with his caregiver's fingers. "Woo, let me put Hyunnie down first, okay? Then you guys can play for a bit before Hyunnie has to go to bed." Yuta said, ushering Jungwoo back into the living room and sitting by Doyoung, smiling when Taeyong gasped when he saw Jaehyun. Taeyong squirmed excitedly, trying to wiggle his way out of Doyoung's lap, whining when the caregiver wouldn't let him go. "Yongie, baby, give me a second." Doyoung chuckled, gently easing the little onto his stomach. Yuta repeated the action with Jaehyun, the little whining about being let go, but his whines turned into happy squeals when he saw Taeyong.

A little later, Taeil, Johnny, Mark, and Donghyuck joined them in the living room, Jungwoo immediately dragging the two youngest to the game he had set up - the same one he had been playing with Chenle a few weeks before, with the Monopoly money, the Chutes and Ladders board, and two dice. "Hyuckie hyung, you gets the green money and Markie hyung, you gets the blue money. Woo gets all the rest!" Jungwoo announced, placing the stacks of money he had previously made in front of everyone. "When we done, we go play with Hyunnie and Yongie before night night." He finished, vigorously shaking the dice in his hand. He rolled two sixes and cheered, clapping his hands together. "Woo wins! Woo get all the money!" He said, holding his hand out for Mark and Donghyuck to give him the money. Mark and Donghyuck shared a look before both handing the money over to Jungwoo, who giggled and stacked it on top of his own pile. "Okay, clean up time! Papa always says Woo is the bestest cleaner upper in the whole widest world. Right, Papa?" Jungwoo said, blinking expectantly over at Doyoung. "That's right, Woo! You're Papa's best cleaner in the whole wide world!" Doyoung said, making Jungwoo grin as he started packing away the game. As soon as he had finished, he stood up and grabbed Mark and Donghyucks hands, dragging the pair over to when the rest of the caregivers and littles were, sitting himself down right next to Taeyong and starting a game of peek-a-boo with Jaehyun, making all three of the littles turn into giggling messes.

The caregivers let the trio play for about a half an hour, but as the clock flashed 9 pm, Yuta carefully picked Jaehyun up, rocking him back and forth when the little let out a tired cry at being taken away from his friends. "I know bub, but it's bedtime. Let's go put you to bed, hm? Let Dada read you a story, and get your bottle so you can sleep as snug as a bug in a rug? Yeah?" Yuta cooed, smiling as Jaehyun calmed down. 

"Alright, baby, time for bed."


	4. quatre

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> chenle is upset. like, really upset.
> 
> (or, big headspace angst)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just as an fyi (before i get any questions about it) i am a weishennie (not ot21) and so wayv won't be in any of the chapters. however, if you would like to see a wayv littlespae book pls lmk!! i would love to write one :)

"Chenle, you're off again." The choreographer sighed, motioning for Chenle to move to the left a little. "One more time." 

"Chenle, to the left! The left!" The choreographer said again, rolling his eyes. Chenle was pretty sure he was the only one that saw that - and it stung. "Again!" Biting his lip, Chenle moved back to his starting position. He didn't understand why it was just him being called out. Jaemin had just completely screwed up the new move they'd added the day before, but the choreographer hadn't yelled at him! It wasn't fair, Chenle thought, his lip jutting out in a pout. No one else ever got yelled at for being slightly off-center. Tears pooled in Chenle's eyes as he kept dancing, blinking rapidly to keep from crying. All he wanted to do was go home and watch Cinderella with his caregivers and- Chenle shook his head. No. It was time for practice, not to slip. They had. a comeback in two days, for god's sake. The music faded out, and Chenle snapped back to reality. 

Everyone was staring at him - the other members in concern or pity, the choreographer in disappointment. "Since some people can't seem to do the simplest moves today, practice is over. We'll start at 6 tomorrow morning." The choreographer said, shooting Chenle a nasty glare. Chenle looked down, biting his lip even harder than before, flinching when Renjun gently wrapped his arms around Chenle's waist as soon as the door slammed. "He's gone, Lele, you're okay. It's okay, sweetie." Renjun said. The rest of the Dreamies gathered around Chenle, Jaemin brushing the younger's bangs out of his eyes, gently wiping away Chenle's tears. "Let's go home, yeah? You can take a break from being big for the night?" Jeno said, his voice soft. Chenle shook his head, sniffling a little. "N-no." He said, harshly rubbing the tears out of his eyes. "No. We have to practice. I can't let everyone down when we're on stage." Chenle said, voice shaky. "I'm fine. I don't need to slip. I'm not Jisung." He added, his tone harsh. Chenle scowled, going over to turn the music on again.

Renjun frowned, placing his hands on his hips. "Chenle, that was _not_ nice of you to say," Renjun said in Mandarin, making Chenle freeze at his native tongue. "You _know_ how hard it was for him to accept that he's a little. I understand that you're upset, but that is not a reason to say mean things to anyone, _especially_ not to a little who looks up to _you_ when he's in his headspace.." Renjun continued, raising an eyebrow when Chenle turned around. "He can suck it up! He didn't get yelled at for being in the wrong spot fifteen times today! He's fine!" Chenle shot back, glaring at Jaemin and Jeno, who were reassuring Jisung that Chenle didn't mean it, while Donghyuck just stood in the middle, looking lost. "Zhong Chenle! I am older than you and you will listen to me! You know that was wrong, no matter how upset you were!" Renjun scolded, taking a few steps closer to Chenle. "Just shut up! I'm not little, you can't control me! I'm going home!" Chenle shouted, storming out of the practice room, grabbing his jacket and backpack on the way out. "Where's he going?" Jeno asked, staring at the door Chenle had just slammed. Renjunhung his head, burying his face in his hands. "He's going home. I was too harsh, I shouldn't have told him off like that." Renjun muttered, shaking his head. "I told him what he said wasn't okay, but I pulled the 'I'm older than you' card and he... he hates it when I do that when we're not speaking Korean..." Renjun trailed off, his eyes misty. Donghyuck wrapped an arm around Renjun's shoulder, attempting to comfort the older boy. Renjun looked over at Jeno and Jaemin, his eyes sad. "He's going to drop within the hour, and he's going to be so, so little. And we're not going to be there for him because I just had to go and yell at him." Renjun cried, tears flowing down his cheeks. "I'm so sorry."

By now, Jisung had calmed down enough to realize Chenle was gone, so he tugged on Jaemin's sleeve, scrunching his nose up in thought. "Nana hyungie," Jisung mumbled, only loud enough for Jaemin to hear. "G-go sees Lele hyungie," Jisung said when Jaemin turned to him with a soft smile. Jisung quickly buried his face back in Jeno's chest, closing his eyes, exhausted from practice. "If he's going to be little... Renjun, you're his main caregiver, you need to go get him. And apologize." Donghyuck said. "I know I'm new to the whole little space thing, but if any of you or Johnny or Taeil hyung said something that I didn't like them saying, I would want an apology over anything else. Even outside of my headspace." He added, smiling when Renjun gently kissed his forehead. "Can I spend the night? Taeyong hyung wanted to have dinner, but he said I could skip if I was too tired from practice." Donghyuck said, resting his head of Renjun's shoulder. "Why'd you ask, stupid? You're always welcome in our be- dorm! In our dorm!" Jaemin said, groaning when Jeno elbowed him in the stomach, pointing to Jisung, who was half asleep in his lap. "Not around the baby!" Jeno hissed, rolling his eyes playfully when Jaemin swatted his arm. 

"Hyuck, do you want to come with me?" Renjun offered when they got back to the dorm, Jisung giggling at the faces Jaemin was making at him from behind Jeno, who had the little secured on his hip. Donghyuck shook his head. "This is something you have to do on your own, Injunnie. I love you, but this is between you and Lele." Renjun nodded, heading to the extra bedroom to grab the "go bag" as they called it - a bag with all their little space essentials, used in emergencies where they didn't have time to pack the diaper bag. "I'll be back. Hopefully, with Chenle, but we'll see. Hold dinner for us if I stay too late, will you?" Renjun asked, kissing Donghyuck's cheek, making Jaemin whine. Renjun rolled his eyes and placed a chaste kiss on both Jaemin and Jeno's cheeks, waving goodbye to Jisung, who giggled and waved back, sloppily blowing a kiss in Renjun's general direction. "Send a text if Hyuckie slips, I'll try to be quick," Renjun whispered in Jeno's ear, smiling when the other boy nodded, sneaking a kiss onto Renjun's forehead before the eldest headed out the door.

Renjun's heart was beating way too fast. He'd taken the bus to Chenle's house - thankfully, it was about two hours before rush hour and there were hardly any people out and about now anyways. He rang the doorbell, shifting nervously from foot to foot. When Chenle's mom answered the door, she looked delighted to see Renjun. "Renjunnie! Come on in! How are you? You look thinner, dear, have you been eating enough?" She asked, brows furrowed as she led Renjun inside. "I've been eating, Ms. Zhong, I promise. Is Chenle here?" He asked, biting his lip. Chenle's mom smiled, placing a hand on Renjun's shoulder. "I figured you were here about him. He told me he would be practicing late, that he would probably crash in your dorm for the night, but he came storming in about a half-hour ago and hasn't come out of his room since. Not even for a snack." She said, shaking her head. "You can try, but I doubt he'll even respond. I'll fix you boys a little something to take back to the dorm, alright? I know Chenle was extremely excited to sleep over tonight, I was going to let him go if he wanted." Renjun nodded gratefully, thanking Chenle's mom as he headed upstairs towards Chenle's room - he had been over enough that he knew exactly where everything was. Taking a deep breath, Renjun knocked on the door. "Chenle? It's me, can we talk?" He asked, bracing himself to be ignored - or worse, screamed at. 

Instead, the door to Chenle's room opened.

Chenle's eyes were puffy but no longer red, and he just looked defeated. "I'm sorry, ge," Chenle said, looking anywhere but Renjun's eyes. "I shouldn't have said those things. It was messed up of me." Renjun stepped in the room, closing the door silently behind him. "You don't have to apologize to me, Chenle," Renjun said, moving to take Chenle's hands in his. "I actually came to apologize to you. I shouldn't have yelled at you, you were upset. And I'm sorry for pulling the 'I'm older' card, I know how much you hate it when I do that." Renjun said gently, looking Chenle in the eye. "I will do better, I promise." He said, smiling slightly when Chenle pulled him into a tight hug. "I forgive you, I know you were mad too," Chenle mumbled. "You were right, by the way. I did feel little but I... He kept yelling at me and all I wanted to do was curl up and cry." Chenle said, eyes going misty again. Renjun held him tighter, kissing the top of Chenle's head, his hair still damp from showering. "We'll deal with it, okay? He was out of line and we all know it." Renjun said, letting go of Chenle slowly. The younger had spotted the bag Renjun was carrying and blushed bright red. "Renjun! In front of my mom?" He whined, playfully shoving the elder. Renjun laughed, slinging an arm around Chenle's shoulders. "Hey, you never know!" Renjun protested.

They left Chenle's room, heading down to the kitchen, where Chenle's mom had whipped up a million containers for the boys to take back and cook in the dorm - enough food to feed all of Dream and 127 thrice over, really. When she saw Chenle, Ms. Zhong's face lit up. "How are you, honey bear?" She asked, grinning from ear to ear. "You're going to go back with Renjun, right? I know you were excited to spend the night, I was surprised to see you home so early!" Chenle laughed, holding his hands out to help bring the food to the car. "I'm fine, Mom. Just a little misunderstanding, that's all." Chenle said, following his mom and Renjun out the front door towards the car. His mom smiled, opening the trunk and putting the food inside of it, all of the containers barely clearing the back window. "I'll drive you back, then? Chenle, you still have clothes there, yes?" She asked. Chenle nodded, hopping into the passenger seat of the car. 

Renjun sent a text to Donghyuck, Jaemin, and Jeno, telling them they were on their way back with food.

**jaeminnie <3:** ms zhong made food? SCORE!

**jenono <3:** FOOD FOR DAYS YES

**jenono <3:** i'm glad lele is ok tho

**donghyuckie <3:** give him hug from me :(

Renjun rolled his eyes a bit. Typical, they were excited about the food (he was too - it wasn't often he had good, homecooked Chinese food anymore) more than the actual making up part.

Once they pulled up in front of their dorm, Renjun thanked Chenle's mom for driving them back and for the food. Between the two of them, Renjun and Chenle managed to get the food up to their dorm relatively easily, only having to knock on the door since Renjun couldn't get his keys out. The minute they were inside, though, Jeno took the boxes from Chenle, and Jaemin immediately picked the younger boy up, securing Chenle on his hip. "Hyung... I have to apologize to Jisungie." Chenle protested. "Jisung won't comprehend that right now, Lele. He's barely three, he hardly knows the meaning for the word sorry." Jaemin said, heading towards the spare bedroom. "I think someone else needs to be the youngest tonight, yeah?" Chenle blushed but nodded his head.

Their night continued like that - Chenle slipping into babyspace, with Jisung and Donghyuck (who had slipped after dinner) playing "hyung" for the night. They watched Cinderella because it was Chenle's favorite, even though the youngest little barely understood anything.

And if their choreographer mysteriously left the company the next day, Donghyuck denied that he ever texted Taeil about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was really angst and "big" heavy I'm sorry :/ i may do a pt 2?? if y'all want one pls leave a comment!!


	5. cinq

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mark is tired and stressed, but volunteers to watch some of the littles anyways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is based on a request from _bexca_ on the last chapter!!

Mark was exhausted. He was so, so exhausted. 

His head was a mess, a jumble of thoughts and sounds, all clouding his brain when he was trying to relax. He could hear the TV blaring in the living room - probably Jungwoo and Jaehyun watching a cartoon. Mark groaned, covering his head with his pillow in frustration. A few tears slipped out of the corner of his eyes and Mark huffed, swiping them away angrily. He wanted it to be quiet and he wanted to be held and he wanted his bottle and-

There was a knock on the door. "Mark? Yuta and I were going to go out, can you watch Woo and Hyunnie for us? Or do you want me to call Johnny and Doyoung so you can slip too?" Taeil asked, poking his head in the door. Mark shook his head, sitting up quickly. "I'll watch them for you, hyung, I'm not feeling little right now." Mark lied, sitting up in his bed. "You guys have fun, I'll be responsible, I promise," Mark said, smiling up at Taeil. He sniffled a little, wrinkling his nose up a little bit. Taeil held back a coo. The older boy raised an eyebrow, not fully believing the story, but ruffled the younger boy's hair anyways. "They just woke up from their nap so you don't have to worry about that. Jaehyun's bottle and Jungwoo's sippy cup are already in the fridge, they'll probably want them in an hour or so. Yuta's changing Hyunnie's diaper now so he should be okay until we're home in an hour, but we probably won't even be that long. Hyunnie's maybe eighteen months, Jungwoo is about four, by the way." Taeil instructed, taking Mark out to the living room, where Jungwoo was laying on his stomach, kicking his legs in the air as he carefully colored in a picture of Batman.

"Woo, baby," Taeil called gently, smiling when the little rolled over and sat up, grinning up at his caregiver. "Papa! Look what I drawed! S'not done yet, but almost!" Jungwoo said, holding out his superhero coloring book, showing Taeil his Batman picture. The character was colored in neatly in bright colors. Taeil noted that Jungwoo had pulled out almost every color in his crayon box to color the page. "Wow, Woo, that looks amazing!" Taeil said, kissing the little's forehead. Jungwoo grinned at the praise, humming happily. "Woo, Papa and Dada are going out for just a little bit, okay? Markie hyung is going to watch you while we're gone, so be good, kiddo." Taeil said, ruffling Jungwoo's hair. Jungwoo tilted his head, looking over at Mark questioningly, eyeing the younger boy doubtfully. "Hyungie not little?" He asked, looking up at Mark and Taeil. Mark shook his head, giving Jungwoo a tight smile. 

Before anyone could say anything else, Yuta reappeared in the living room, cooing softly at Jaehyun, who was giggling at his caregiver. "Alright, baby, Dada and Papa are going to go, okay? You're going to stay with Mark hyungie and Woo! Isn't that fun?" Jaehyun babbled out something unintelligible, squirming a little, a signal that he wanted to be set down. "Okay, okay... we'll see you see you soon, baby." Yuta laughed, settling Jaehyun on his playmat with his soft blocks. "You're sure you're okay?" Taeil asked Mark, resting his hand on the small of the younger's back. "Yeah, hyung, I'm fine," Mark said, nodding to the two oldest boys. "Call one of us or Johnny if you need anything. You're the best, bub." Yuta said, giving Mark a quick hug before heading out the door with Taeil.

"Hyungie!" Jungwoo called, smiling sweetly when Mark turned to him. "Hyungie little!" Jungwoo said, swinging his feet in the air. Jaehyun squealed in agreement, shaking his rattle at Mark. "Hyungie isn't... Hyungie doesn't need to be... not now, Woo." Mark said, shaking his head. He tried to shake the fuzzy feeling of his headspace away, but it didn't work - his head only felt fuzzier and fuzzier. Jungwoo frowned, pushing himself up from the ground and toddling over to Mark, grabbing his hand and dragging his to the couch. "Papa says not bein' little when you wants to be is being a big meanie an' I don't think Markie is a big meanie." Jungwoo pouted, pulling puppy dog eyes on Mark. "Woo, s'op it. Not meanie. Gotta watch Woo an' Hyunnie." Mark said, slipping a little into his headspace. Jungwoo gasped, pulling Mark into a hug. "Markie, 'm sorry. Didn't mean to... didn't want you to cry! You be little and Woo take care of everything! Promise!" Jungwoo said, petting Mark's hair in an effort to calm the youngest down. Mark was crying, tears falling down his cheeks silently. "Jaejae, can I has your rattle, please?" Jungwoo asked, smiling when Jaehyun crawled over, handing his rattle over to Jungwoo. "Ma'k." Jaehyun said, looking at Mark with a determined tone, struggling a little to pull himself up onto the couch. Jungwoo helped a little, pulling Jaehyun up easily, giggles escaping his mouth as he helped the younger little up. "No. No c'y." Jaehyun murmured, wrapping his arms around Mark carefully. Jungwoo followed, huddling around the two babies, humming one of the lullabies Taeil and Doyoung always sang to them. 

Taeil and Yuta had walked to the corner store to buy a few things for dinner, happily chattering on the way over. "I'm a little nervous, really... I feel like we should've called Johnny or Doie or-" Taeil rambled nervously. Yuta cut him off, shaking his head. "Hyung, don't worry. I'm sure Mark will be okay for now, we won't be gone too long anyways." Yuta reassured the older boy, slinging an arm around his shoulder gently. Taeil sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I'm just being paranoid. Yeah, sorry." Taeil said, quickening his pace. Yuta caught up, jogging alongside the older. "I can call Johnny to check on them if you want?" He offered, pulling his phone out of his pocket. Taeil frowned, thinking for a moment before nodding gratefully. Yuta opened his phone, pressing Johnny's contact. It rang a few times before Johnny picked up, offering a strained hello as a greeting. "Hey, if you or Doie aren't busy could you go check on the boys? We left Woo and Hyunnie with Mark when he was big but we're worried that he might have slipped." Yuta asked, shoving the phone between his ear and shoulder while he held the door to the store open for Taeil, who nodded in a silent thank you. 

"Yeah, um, just give us a few, Yongie just woke up. We'll bring him and Hyuck up to play." Johnny responded, raising his eyebrows when Doyoung hissed his name. "Okay, yeah. Yeah, see you soon. Bye." Johnny said, hanging up with Yuta and throwing his phone on the couch before looking over at Doyoung. "He wants you, hyung. He's still a little out of it. I'll watch Hyuckie." Doyoung said, motioning to Taeyong's room. Johnny nodded, heading towards the first bedroom before pausing to speak up. "Yuta and Taeil hyung want us to go check on everyone upstairs. They left Jae and Woo with Mark, but they're afraid he may have slipped too." Johnny said, pushing Taeyong's door open and cooing at the little.

It took Johnny and Doyoung time to get a very cranky Taeyong out the door (unlike Donghyuck, who was a bit older than usual in his headspace and was extremely excited to take the elevator up to the 10th floor). But, they made it, using the spare key the managers had given them to unlock the door.

The four boys were met with quite the sight - Mark, fast asleep, thumb tucked securely in his mouth, wrapped up in Jaehyun and Jungwoo's arms, both of whom were wide awake and watching Sophia the First on Netflix.

Donghyuck broke off from everyone first, running to the couch to wiggle his way onto the cuddle pile. Jungwoo looked shocked when Donghyuck plopped down next to him, but grinned brightly and put an arm around the younger. "Hyuckie, where's Daddy and Papa? Did you come by yourselfs?" Jungwoo asked, looking a little concerned. Donghyuck shook his head, pointing behind the older little's shoulder. "Da'y an' Papa an' Yon'ie all here!" Donghyuck said. Jungwoo squealed waving to the trio by the door. "Daddy, Papa, Markie little! He asleep now, so shhh!" He said, pressing a finger to his lips. Johnny chuckled, moving closer to the couch to set Taeyong down by Jaehyun. "Yo'g!" Jaehyun cooed, clumsily patting the younger little's head when Johnny set Taeyong next to him. "That's right baby, Yongie's here! You guys can watch princesses while Daddy takes care of Markie, right?" Johnny said, ruffling Jaehyun's hair. Jaehyun quickly let go of Mark to point to the TV, giggling as he babbled to Johnny. The caregiver smiled, pressing a kiss to Jaehyun and Taeyong's foreheads. 

"Doie, I'll take Mark, you watch the kids?" Johnny said, carefully picking up the sleeping baby. Doyoung nodded, briefly taking his attention away from Jungwoo, who was explaining his finished Batman picture to Doyoung and Donghyuck. 

Johnny took Mark back to the younger's room, being careful not to jostle him too much, as not to wake the baby. Setting the little down on the bed, Johnny opened the closet, grabbing a diaper and a plain green onesie with a cartoon lion on it. Reaching into Mark's bedside table's drawer, he grabbed Mark's favorite baby blue pacifier and red pacifier clip. He gently tugged Mark's thumb out, trading it for the paci. Mark whined slightly but didn't wake up, letting Johnny change him peacefully. Finally, Johnny attached the pacifier clip to the onesie and the pacifier. "Sleepyhead." Johnny cooed, picking Mark up carefully.

They headed back out to the living room, where Taeil and Yuta were back home, a couple of bags in tow from their adventure to the grocery store. "Is that my baby?" Yuta called, seeing Johnny come back into the room. Jungwoo looked up at him, pressing his finger to his lips and giving Yuta an adorable glare. "Shh! Markie's sleepin' Dada!" The little scolded. Yuta chuckled, lowering his volume. "I'll take him, Johnny." He said, putting the bag he had been holding onto down, holding his arms out for the little. Johnny nodded, passing Mark off to Yuta.

"Poor baby, you should've told Papa and Dada you were feeling so little!" Yuta cooed softly, rocking Mark back and forth in his arms. Mark still didn't stir, clearly out cold for a few hours. Taeil smiled, moving past the pair to set everything they had picked up at the store in the kitchen. Doyoung followed with a bottle and a sippy cup in hand, chatting softly with Taeil. Yuta joined Johnny and the littles on the couch, laying Mark against his chest, rubbing the sleeping littles' back gently. Doyoung and Taeil joined them shortly afterward, the caregivers passing sippy cups to Jungwoo and Donghyuck. Taeil took Jaehyun into his lap and Doyoung mimicked the action with Taeyong, feeding the two babies their bottles. 

"There's one in the fridge for when Mark wakes up," Taeil said, nodding to the sleeping little on Yuta's lap. "Thanks, hyung," Yuta said, pulling a silly face at Taeyong when he looked up at Yuta, making the little giggle around his bottle. The caregivers talked quietly for a bit, just enjoying each other's company. Eventually, Donghyuck and Jungwoo ended up curled into either side of Johnny, both littles trying and failing to stay awake. "Afternoon naptime?" Doyoung chuckled, motioning at Taeyong and Jaehyun, both fast asleep in their respective caregiver's arms. "I think so." Taeil smiled, brushing Jaehyun's bangs out of his eyes. "Just let them stay here, it's easier," Yuta mumbled, looking lovingly at a still-sleeping Mark. 

The nine of them stayed that way for most of the afternoon, the TV playing softly in the background now, just relaxing after a stressful four months.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the late update!! i've been kinda uninspired with this book for the past month and a half
> 
> thank you for reading and remember requests are always welcome!! <3


	6. six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> donghyuck is scared of the storm. jeno and johnny take care of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a combination of requests!! a lot of you wanted more little hyuck so i am here to deliver :)
> 
> this is based on comments by blueberrygoldendragon and kpoploveralways on the last chapter so i hope you enjoy!!

Donghyuck was scared. He was so, so scared. 

It was the middle of the night and he was tucked into bed with his boyfriends, using 127's break to hang out more with the Dreamies. A storm had started while they were asleep, and storms were one of Donghyuck's biggest headspace triggers. 

Except, only Johnny knew that.

So here Donghyuck was, shaking in fear, Renjun snoring softly in Donghyuck's ear, Jaemin's arm across his chest, his head on Jeno's chest, all four of their legs tangled together. Renjun and Jaemin were heavy sleepers, but Jeno wasn't. And Donghyuck was lying on his chest, shaking, tears slipping out of his eyes. 

"Hyuckie?" Jeno mumbled, blinking groggily. The younger didn't reply, his sobs only getting louder. Jeno frowned, rubbing his eyes. The caregiver sat up with a little difficulty, stretching his arms out to wake himself up. He wrapped his arms around Donghyuck, running a hand through the younger boy's hair. "Hey, hey, Duckie, let's calm down. Can you tell me what's wrong?" Jeno said, pulling Donghyuck into his lap. Donghyuck didn't say anything, but he calmed a little, cuddling into Jeno's hold, still shaking a little, sobs quietly coming out of his mouth. "Oh, baby. You're little, aren't you? That's okay, sunshine. That's okay." Jeno cooed, running a hand through Donghyuck's hair, trying his best to get the younger boy to relax. Donghyuck whimpered, mumbling something into Jeno's chest. 

"Hm?" Jeno murmured, scrunching his face up in confusion when Donghyuck started crying again. "Daddy!" The little cried.

That's when Jeno felt it. Donghyuck had wet the bed. "Oh, sweetie," Jeno said, untangling the two of them from Renjun and Jaemin. Donghyuck was still crying, clinging to Jeno like a lifeline, crying out for Johnny. "Hyungie's so sorry, he should've realized you were uncomfy. Let's get you a bath and call Daddy, okay?" Jeno said, shifting Donghyuck to his hip. He shook Renjun awake, rolling his eyes when the eldest whined. "What?" Renjun muttered, cracking his eyes open. "Hyuckie's little. He wet the bed, so I need you to please wake Jaem up and one of you needs to call Johnny hyung and tell him Hyuck keeps calling for him, and one of you needs to do change the sheets while I give him a bath. And try not to wake Jisung up, please." Jeno said, bouncing Donghyuck on his hip. Renjun was now wide awake, nodding his head rapidly. "You go. I'll wake him up." Renjun said, leaning over to shake Jaemin's shoulder. Jeno shot him a smile, heading to the bathroom to run Donghyuck a bath.

"In you go, sunshine," Jeno said, carefully placing Donghyuck in the bathtub. It had taken about five minutes for Jeno to fill up the tub, put the littles' special bubbles in it, and convince Donghyuck that he needed some help undressing, but the younger was finally settled into his bath. He looked exhausted, all the crying wearing him out. Luckily, that made it easier for Jeno to be more attentive to bathing Donghyuck. He needed to take some time - it would take at least fifteen minutes for Johnny to come over, and Jeno wanted to keep Donghyuck as calm as possible until Johnny arrived. Renjun poked his head in the bathroom door, his phone pressed to his ear. "Hyuckie, movie, do you want Daddy to bring you Baby?" Renjun asked, smiling when Donghyuck nodded, his thumb drifting to his mouth. "Yes, please, hyung," Renjun said, turning to leave, back on the phone with Johnny. The eldest opened the closet, rummaging around as he answered a few more questions Johnny had, grabbing one of Donghyuck's favorite pacifiers. "Okay, awesome. Thanks, hyung, see you soon. Bye." Renjun said, hanging his phone up. He pushed the bathroom door open, nodding at Jeno. "Here's his paci. Johnny hyung is going to bring Baby and Donghyuck's blanket over, he said ten minutes, tops. Jaem's doing the laundry, then he's going to go check on the other two. We'll all shower when hyung has Hyuckie?" Renjun said, tossing the pacifier to Jeno. "Yeah," Jeno said, tugging Donghyuck's thumb out of his mouth, tutting when the little whined, pushing the pacifier in its place, kissing Donghyuck's nose. 

Jeno was still in the bathroom with Donghyuck when Johnny arrived. Donghyuck saw him first, a new wave of tears forming in his eyes, reaching for the older man. "Daddy!" He said, pacifier dropping into the water. Jeno quickly fished it out, drying the soother on his shirt. He turned, smiling up at Johnny kindly, standing from his place by the tub. "Thanks for coming, hyung," Jeno said. Johnny waved it off, trading places with Jeno. "I figured he might slip tonight. It's storming out. That's a big trigger for him, even if he goes to bed big." Johnny said, chuckling when Donghyuck babbled something trying to grab onto Johnny's sweatshirt. "Sunshine, wait just a second, okay? Daddy's got to talk to Hyungie, then we can get you all nice and snuggly in your jammies!" Johnny said, resting his hand on the back of Donghyuck's head soothingly. Jeno looked confused, and Johnny let out a big sigh. "It started about a month ago. There was a huge storm, and he'd gone to bed big. But then he woke up in the middle of the night, all upset. He climbed into bed with me. He was so upset, he couldn't talk properly. So I just gave him a bottle, changed him, rocked him back to sleep. He was embarrassed, to say the least when he slipped out of his headspace. It happened again, once, when he had gone to bed little. That wasn't as bad.ut he still wanted just the two of us to know." Johnny explained.

Jeno was hurt. Donghyuck was their boyfriend, after all. He was supposed to confide in them, not... not his roommate.

There was a lull in the conversation as Johnny took Donghyuck out of the bath and dried him off, blowing raspberries on his stomach. Jeno sighed, running a hand through his hair. He was just so frustrated that Donghyuck hadn't trusted him, his boyfriend, with this secret. He could understand why Donghyuck would've been embarrassed though. It had taken a lot for him to let them become his caregivers, not used to having a different dynamic with his best friends - and boyfriends.

"Look, I-"

"Jeno, I know-" 

Johnny looked up in surprise, finishing zipping up Donghyuck's sleeper while the younger caregiver looked at his feet. "You go ahead, hyung. Sorry." Jeno mumbled, looking back at Johnny. The older frowned, picking Donghyuck up and putting the little on his hip. "No, kiddo. What'd you want to say?" Johnny asked, rocking Donghyuck back and forth a little. "I just... I'm not happy he hid this from us. We're his boyfriends and his caregivers, you know? He's supposed to trust us above anything else. I mean, what if he had slipped in the middle of a storm and we hadn't woken up? I would've felt so bad and I just... I don't want him to not trust us. But I can understand why he didn't say anything. He's afraid we'll think he's weird or we'll replace him or just get rid of him entirely. You know how the fans are." Jeno said, rinsing Donghyuck's pacifier with some warm water in the sink and handing it to Johnny once it was dry. The oldest caregiver popped it into Donghyuck's mouth, making both Johnny and Jeno coo when Donghyuck immediately closed his eyes and rested his head on Johnny's shoulder. "I know, kid. They're ruthless, aren't they?" Johnny muttered, heading out of the bathroom. "He was embarrassed, that's all. He... when he's big, he's got a thing about how he can be carefree and fun with us because he's the youngest, but he's got to be a hyung when he's with you guys. I think that translates into his headspace. He wants to be the hyung, be the "responsible" little. Not be... a burden. We've tried talking to him about it and he always says he's fine, but I think... I think he should hear it from you guys too. The three of you, obviously, but from Chenle and Jisung too." Johnny said, settling down on the couch with Donghyuck half asleep in his arms. Jeno nodded, standing next to him. "I can understand that," Jeno mumbled, mindlessly stroking Donghyuck's back. The trio fell into a comfortable silence, Donghyuck's breathing becoming steady.

Jaemin and Renjun joined them soon after. Jaemin passed Johnny the bottle they had made Donghyuck, smiling when the eldest thanked him quietly. "It's got honey in it, just how he likes it. I know he's asleep, but..." Jaemin said, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of Donghyuck's head. Renjun followed, brushing Donghyuck's bangs to the side a little. "Thanks, Jaem. I'm sure he'll wake up just for his favorite bottle." Johnny said, smiling at the trio. They were all looking at Donghyuck with so much love in their eyes Johnny nearly gagged. Did he look that lovesick when he looked at Taeil? "He really loves you guys, you know," Johnny said quietly, looking fondly between the younger boys. "We know," Jaemin said, wrapping his arms around Renjun and Jeno. "We do too," Renjun added, resting his head on Jaemin's shoulder. 

Johnny woke Donghyuck up, shushing him and quickly replacing his pacifier with the bottle. Donghyuck immediately latched on, drinking the warm milk sleepily. "You three go shower. He'll be asleep and back in bed by the time you're out." Johnny said, shooing the trio out of the living room. They complied, giggling quietly down the hallway towards the bathroom.

True to his word, Donghyuck was asleep on Renjun's bed when Jeno, Renjun, and Jaemin were out of the shower. They said their goodbyes, all piling into bed to cuddle with Donghyuck as Johnny left for the 127 dorms. They fell back asleep easily, all cuddled into each other for the night.

All four of them, like it always was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading!! i got a couple requests on the last chapter that i'll be working on soon so please expect more chapters this week (hopefully) and the next! i also usually write these in one sitting so it takes me a little bit to find a good chunk of time to just write... but hey it's summer vacation :)
> 
> as always, feedback and requests are welcome!! thanks for reading!!

**Author's Note:**

> please leave some requests in the comments ;)
> 
> as a clarification:
> 
> LITTLES  
\- chenle  
\- jisung  
\- donghyuck  
\- mark  
\- jungwoo  
\- jaehyun  
\- taeyong
> 
> CAREGIVERS  
\- donghyuck (ch 1)  
\- renjun  
\- jeno  
\- jaemin  
\- doyoung  
\- yuta  
\- johnny  
\- taeil


End file.
